Metal awning



M. P. KURTZ April 9, 1963 METAL AWNING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 3,1951 INVENTOR.

4| MERRILL F. KURTZ BY /Z 4 ATTORNEY r M. P. KURTZ METAL AWNING April9., 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5, 195] INVENTOR. MERRILL I? KURTZBY ATTORNEY tion includes the 3,084,404 METAL AWNING Merrill PeterKurtz, Akron, Shin (Rte. 2, Box 164, Coolreville, Tenn.) Filed Oct. 3,1951, Ser. No. 249,46? 6 Claims. (Cl. 2tl--57.5)

This invention relates to an improved metal awning of the type in whichthe water-shedding surface is formed of alternating overlapping upperand lower pans. The sides of the lower pans are turned up and the sidesof the upper pans are turned down. Ventilation is provided through thesesides. Clips are used for fastening these pans to the cross beams whichsupport them. The invenclips and awnings assembled with the clips.

Each clip is formed with a lip cut from its flat bottom and bent downtherefrom and substantially parallel therewith, and adapted to slipunder the edge of a cross beam and hold the clip firmly on the crossbeam. In a preferred form of the invention an upward dent in the crossbeam coacts with the opening formed in the bottom of the clip in formingthe lip, to lock the clip in place. The edge of the cross beam may beindented at intervals to receive the clips, and this facilitates theproper spacing of the clips and the assembly of the awning.

The ends of the clip are bent up over the edges of the adjacent lowerpans and then are bent outwardly and downwardly and engage the upperpans to hold them definitely spaced with respect to the lower pans. Eachend of the clip may advantageously be slit and indented near the top ofthe downwardly sloping portions to form a catch which is sprung over theedge of the side or wall of the adjacent pan and hold the two together.Two preferred forms of clips are illustrated. The clips prevent the pansfrom rattling against one another, and prevent the lower pans fromrattling against the cross beam.

The invention will be further described in connection with theaccompanying drawings FIG. 1 of which shows a perspective view of theawning and shows one form of clip;

FIG. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an upper pan partly broken away with amodified form of clip beneath it;

FIG. 4 is a side view on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 corresponds to the view shown at one end of FIG. 4, butillustrates the clip shown in FIG. 1.

The clips of this invention are designed to fit over the edge of anysheet metal cross beam. In the drawings a particular type of cross beamis illustrated, but it is to be understood that the invention is in noway limited to the type of cross beam shown.

The cross beams 1 are Z-shaped. They are supported by the sheet metalangle beams 2 which project perpendicularly from the wall 4 of thebuilding, and slant downwardly. These are supported by the horizontalbeams 5 which are held to the building by the angles 6. The drawingillustrates a short awning. It may extend outwardly to any length and beat any angle. Likewise it may be made up of any number of pans. In theillustration the upper pans 8 are formed with downwardly bent walls orsides 9 the ends of which are bent inwardly at 19. The lower pans 12 areformed with upwardly bent walls or sides 13 which are bent inwardly attheir ends 14/. The walls of both the upper and lower pans are providedwith vent openings 16. These openings are preferably staggered toprevent water splashing off the roof from passing through openings inboth walls. It is to be understood that the upper and lower pans neednot be of applicants exact design, although with the preferred type ofFatented Apr. 9, 1963 clip illustrated in FIGURES 35 narrow ventopenings are required, as will be more fully explained in what follows.

The awning may be formed with any suitable flashing strip. In thedrawings the flashing strip is shown as formed of a vertical portion 20which is fastened to the house. The top 21 slants outwardly at a sharpangle to provide space for caulking. The bottom portion 22 of theflashing strip extends outwardly from the house at the same angle as thebeams 2. Each upper pan is cut away at the end of the bottom at 24(FIGURE 1) so that it fits over the flashing strip. It may extend to thevertical portion 20 of the flashing strip, or may stop short of this, asshown in the drawings. Under each upper pan the bottom edge of theflashing strip is turned up at 25 to divert any water, slush, etc. whichmay flow in under the upper pan, diverting it to drain down one of theadjacent lower pans and preventing it from falling through the openingbetween these lower pans. The upper end of each lower pan 13 is cut awayat 27 (FIGURE 2) so that the ends of the baffle 25 extend beyond theedges of the walls 13 of the adjacent lower plans.

The upper and lower pans are held in spaced relation by the clips, twotypes of which are shown in the drawings. FIGURES 1 and 6 illustrate onetype of clip 29, and FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate another type of clip39.

Each clip is formed of sheet metal. The bottom is flat except for thelip 31 (FIGS. 4 and 5) which is cut out from the bottom and leaves theopening 32. This lip is bent downwardly a short distance and thenextends substantially parallel to the balance of the bottom of the clipexcept that the end 33 turns downwardly to facilitate engaging the clipwith the cross beam. The lip, although generally parallel with thebottom of the clip, slants slightly toward it and in locating the clipon a cross beam it is necessary to pry the lip away from the bottom sothat the lip clasps the cross beam and holds the clip securely in place.

In :a preferred form of the invention long, narrow notches 34 (FIG. 5)are provided in the edge of the cross beam where the clips are to belocated. These are just slightly longer than one of the lips so that thelips fit tightly in them. These notches are readily cut at the factoryduring the manufacture of the cross beams. They facilitate the locationof the clips when the awning is assembled at the building where it is tobe installed and the spacing of the pans is thus accuratelypredetermined. The cross beams are advantageously provided withelongated upward dents 37 over which the openings 32 fit (FIGS. 3 and 5)when the clips are accurately located.

The clips are bent sharply upward toward each end to form walls 49 theouter surfaces of which fit flat against the outer surfaces of the walls13 of the adjacent lower pans. The clips are then bent outwardly at 41and then downwardly at 42. To strengthen the angle at the bottom of eachwall 40 a boss 45 (FIGURES 3 and 4) is formed. The outwardly turnedportion 41 of each clip fits snugly over the inwardly turned outer edge14 of the bottom pan adjacent to it. The downwardly turned portion 42 ofthe clip is sprung against the inner surface of the downwardly turnedwall 9 of the upper pan which fits over the clip. Each clip is slit nearthe top of the downwardly turned portion, and then pressed inwardly toform the dent 48, clearly shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. The cut edge 49fits snugly against the outer end of the inwardly turned portion 14 ofthe bottom pan.

A portion 50 of the downwardly extending end 42 of the clip is bulgedoutwardly between two slits which are perpendicular to the sides of theclip. This outwardly bulged portion 50 is clearly shown in FIG. 3. InFIG. 4 the bulged portions of the clip are shown as fitting into thevent holes 16 in the downwardly extending walls of the upper pan.

This type of clip is easily manufactured and is easily installed. Bynotching one edge of each cross beam the locations for the clips areeasily determined at the time of assembly. The clip is pushed on to thebeam until the opening 32 in the bottom of the clip fits over thelongitudinal upward dent 37 in the crossbeam. The clip thus fits firmlyin place on the top of the cross beam. The upwardly turned walls 40 fitsnugly against the upwardly turned walls of the adjacent lower pans andthe slit edge of each dent 48 fits against the edge of the inwardlyturned portion 14 of one of the lower pans thus definitely fixing therelation of the clip to the lower pans on each side of it. The outwardlybulged portions 50 of the clip fit into the vent holes 16 in thedownwardly turned walls 9 of the upper pans. These bulged portions aresprung into place in the upper pans.

According to a preferred manner of assembling the awning the lower pansare first laid on the cross beams. The clips are then located betweenthem, and the upwardly turned edges of the lower pans are sprunginwardly and catch against the dents 48. The upper pens are then pusheddown over the clips and in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 this iscontinued until the bulged out portions 5|] fit into the vent holes.This forms a rigid assembly and eliminates rattling of the parts of theassembly against one another during a Windstorm.

In the modification of the clips shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 the downwardlyturned portions 60 of the ends of the clips are bent inwardly at 61 attheir bottom ends. These bottom ends fit over the inwardly turned endsof the upper pans :and clasp them in position.

The notched cross beams may be used with both types of clips and eachtype of clip may be used with or without notching the edge of the crossbeam. Likewise each type of clip: may be used with a cross beam providedwith upward dents 37 and also with a cross beam free from such dents.The cross beams may be both notched and dented upwardly, and they may beprovided only with notches or only with upward dents. The ends of bothtypes of clips fit over the upwardly turned walls of the lower pans andengage the upper pans in one way or the other, thus "holding the pans ina desired spaced relation.

Instead of the baffle 25, a clip such as either of those illustratedherein may be used.

What I claim is:

1. An awning clip adapted to hold a cross beam and the upper and lowerpans of an awning overlapped in spaced relation, said upper pans havingat the edges thereof downwardly extending flanges with vent openingstherein and inwardly extending bottom edges, and lower pans havingupwardly extending flanges at the edges thereof, which clip is stampedfrom sheet metal and includes a relatively flat bottom portion with flatextensions at the opposite ends thereof bent upwardly and outwardly andthen downwardly from the flat bottom to form hookshaped extensions ofthe flat bottom presenting broad bottom surfaces adapted to lie on thetop edges of the respective adjacent upwardly extending flanges ofbottom pzans located on each side of the clip, with an outwardly bulgingarea on the surface of the downwardly extending portion of eachhook-shaped extension adapted for engagement in one of said ventopenings, said flat bottom of the clip being provided with a lip spacedclose to the said flat bottom so as to permit engagement of said crossbeam between the fiat bottom and the lip.

2. The clip of claim 1 which has a fiat bottom with the lip cut from thebottom leaving an opening therein.

3. The clip of claim 1 in which the extensions extend upwardly from theends of said bottom and then outwardly, and have a downward dent in eachoutwardly extending portion adapted to engage the edge of said upwardlyextending flange of the adjacent lower pan.

4. The clip of claim 1 in which there is a slit in each of saidoutwardly extending portions with an indentation just beyond each slitadapted to engage the top of said adjacent flange of a lower pan.

5. An awning construction comprising spaced lower pans with upper pansabove them and bridging the spaces, the lower pans having upwardlyextending flanges along the edges thereof, the upper pans havingdownwardly extending flanges along the edges thereof with vent openingsin these flanges, a clip which spaces two of the lower pans the ends ofwhich extend over the tops of the flanges of the two adjacent lowerpans, with each end engaged in a vent opening in the downwardlyextending flange of the adjacent upper pan.

6. An awning construction comprising a cross member, first and secondsets of panels supported thereon, each panel having an elongated bodyportion with longitudinal walls defining longitudinal channels with saidbody portion, the panels of the first set overlying the panels of thesecond set, the adjacent edges of the body portions of adjacent panelsof the first and second sets spaced both laterally and vertically, thewalls of the panels of the first set having vent openings therein, a keyrising from the cross member between adjacent panels of the second setwith its ends overlying the walls thereof and with each end engaged inone of said vent openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS356,393 Helliwell Jan. 18, 1887 1,802,234 Caramella Apr. 21, 193-12,242,238 Detrich May 20, 1941 2,406,315 Blocher Aug. 27, 1946 2,408,557Huntington Oct. 1, 1946 2,542,919 Freeman Feb. 20, 1951 2,598,691 HeltJune 3, 1952 2,619,691 Bottom Dec. 2, 1952 2,648,105 Kurtz Aug. 11, 1953

1. AN AWNING CLIP ADAPTED TO HOLD A CROSS BEAM AND THE UPPER AND LOWERPANS OF AN AWNING OVERLAPPED IN SPACED RELATION, SAID UPPER PANS HAVINGAT THE EDGES THEREOF DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES WITH VENT OPENINGSTHEREIN AND INWARDLY EXTENDING BOTTOM EDGES, AND LOWER PANS HAVINGUPWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES AT THE EDGES THEREOF, WHICH CLIP IS STAMPEDFROM SHEET METAL AND INCLUDES A RELATIVELY FLAT BOTTOM PORTION WITH FLATEXTENSIONS AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF BENT UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY ANDTHEN DOWNWARDLY FROM THE FLAT BOTTOM TO FORM HOOKSHAPED EXTENSIONS OFTHE FLAT BOTTOM PRESENTING BROAD BOTTOM SURFACES ADAPTED TO LIE ON THETOP EDGES OF THE RESPECTIVE ADJACENT UPWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGES OFBOTTOM PANS LOCATED ON EACH SIDE OF THE CLIP, WITH AN OUTWARDLY BULGINGAREA ON THE SURFACE OF THE DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING PORTION OF EACHHOOK-SHAPED EXTENSION ADAPTED FOR ENGAGEMENT IN ONE OF SAID VENTOPENINGS, SAID FLAT BOTTOM OF THE CLIP BEING PROVIDED WITH A LIP SPACEDCLOSE TO THE SAID FLAT BOTTOM SO AS TO PERMIT ENGAGEMENT OF SAID CROSSBEAM BETWEEN THE FLAT BOTTOM AND THE LIP.